“Elissa, this is the four men I told you about. The wolf, witch, angel, and vampire.” Demtra’s voice drifts through my mind, and it takes me a few tries to open my eyes and see the massive ballroom we are in where Elissa, the ancestors, and Demtra are all standing together. I recognise the ballroom as the training room now, but it once was amazing. The wall is a shiny gold that matches the glossy, gold floors. There are five crystal chandeliers, lit up with hundreds of candles, the light touching everywhere around the room which is heavily decorated in green flowers. There are hundreds of different supernaturals, dancing in unusual dress to the loud, unfamiliar music being played. The female supernaturals all have white and black Greek-style dresses on, and the men just have togas that cover their lower halves. Their marks are visible as they sway to the music, and I find myself admiring the different animals that are also in the room. There are three large, purple birds I’ve never seen before sitting on a branch by the window, and there are large cats, wolves, bears, and even a horse. The horse is pure white, and as I look closer, I see the horn in the middle of its head. Oh my god, it’s a unicorn. I can’t believe it.

“May I have a dance with the Goddess’ sister?” the witch ancestor asks, getting my attention from the unicorn in the room, just in time to see Elissa as she blushes and nods. They walk off and start dancing as I stand and watch. I look over to see all the ancestors watching them, they loved her from the start. It’s clear to see in the way they look at her. Demtra walks slowly towards me, and stops so close, I almost imagine she can see me.

“War is coming, the past won’t help you, now,” Demtra says, but her words aren’t for me, they are for the demon king who sits at a table behind me. I turn to see the demon king simply smile in a cruel way. Despite the fact he is in the vampire king’s body now, he has the same smirk and evil quality in his eyes. It’s his soul that screams evil more than anything else.

“The past always controls the future,” he replies.

“No, it doesn’t, and you won’t control her,” Demtra says, her voice calm despite her harsh words.

“Gods control all,” he sneers before walking away, and I close my eyes as I’m pulled back to sleep.

* * *

I blink my eyes open, remembering the dream and how it all started, how my grandmother fell in love with the ancestors, and they loved her. How the demon king was always around, always ruining what could have been special. I guess I should be thankful in a way that he did, because my mum would never have been born if the demon king and Elissa hadn’t been together all those years ago. But then, I have to die anyway, so it will all be for nothing. All this death over many years, will be ended with my death.

“Such a serious face when you first wake up,” Dabriel whispers, and I turn my head to see him lying on the bed next to me. I place my hand on his warm, naked chest, tracing my finger around.

“Dreams and war have a way of making me serious,” I comment.

“Didn’t we help you forget that a little last night?” Atti asks, sliding his hands around my stomach from behind, and I feel how naked he is as he pulls me against him.

“Yes, but we have to plan today, make the hardest decisions for tomorrow,” I say, reminding them both of the meeting planned today. I have an idea to tell them, and half my mates are going to hate me for it.

“Then we best get up and be the royals we need to be,” Dabriel says and kisses my forehead.

* * *

“How are we going to get into the vampire castle and win a fight there?” Lucinda asks, through the noise of everyone trying to shout their ideas into the room. There are sixteen of us in here: the council we have made up to try and win this war. They are a mix of every race and the halfs. To say they didn’t take it well when Chesca, Soobeen, and Mila walked into the room despite me warning them this would happen, would be putting it lightly. There was a fight, and Chesca punched one of the witches, it just didn’t go well. Luckily, Atti stopped them, and as the shouting gets louder, I know another fight is not far away.

“Enough!” I shout, slamming my hand on the table, and I look down to see my hand glowing blue. I must be glowing like a Smurf again.

“I have an idea,” I say and stand up, walking to the whiteboard. I pick up a pen and start drawing while they silently watch me.

“So, you all know that demons can go through the demon ward around the vampire castle. It’s how I got out, and it’s how I will get in once more. I spoke with Milo, and he will take one person into the castle, and I believe I can pull one person through the ward as well,” I say.

“I will go to the vampire castle with Wyatt because he knows it best, and Jaxson because his wolf can smell demons nearby. The rest of the kings and people will stay and fight here,” I say, and my mates give me mixed looks of shock and anger.

“No way, Winter,” Atti says, his voice dripping with anger.

“I need to close the portal, only me. The demon king is not going to come here and fight. I don’t remember much from my time there, but he never left the castle for long because the portal is his weak point. With my crown on, I can fight him, push him in the portal, and close it. This is what I’m meant to do, and I need to,” I tell everyone in the room, and there’s silence for a long time as they think over my words. I know I don’t stand much chance of beating him, but I stand a chance of getting him through that portal, and that’s all that matters.

“He could kill you,” Dabriel points out.

“I want you all with me, but his demons are going to kill the people here. Our people,” I tell Dabriel, who tightens his jaw but nods. I look over to see Atti finally nod in agreement with me.

“We will take a hundred mixed supernaturals with us, just in case. They can wait outside the castle and, hopefully, kill the rest of the demons he will keep with him when the ward drops. Also, we might need to fight our way to the ward in the first place, if the demon king has any of his demons outside,” Jaxson says.

“It’s not a bad plan,” I comment, agreeing with him.

“Then, I will be at your side,” Jaxson nods but the slight glowing of his green eyes is telling me his wolf isn’t happy with everything.

“You know my answer,” Wyatt says, and I smile at him with relief. I look around the room.

“The fray are bringing weapons and their army to fight for us, but we cannot trust them. I would suggest placing all the women and children into the castle basement. The rest of you spread out around the castle for the fight,” I say.

“We can plan for a war here, My Queen,” Lucifer says.

“Then, we have our plans. There is a lot still to be done,” Soobeen says, and there’s agreements said around the room.

“Winter, you need to see this,” Freddy says running into the room, holding his iPad.

“Freddy, what is it?” I ask, knowing he wouldn’t rush in here with just anything. He puts the iPad down on the table, and we all gather around it.

“The wall around Paris has fallen, and whatever happened in there, is not good. I’m fairly sure we are looking at a mass killing of thousands, with thousands still missing. Many were killed in their homes–” the news woman says as she is recorded speaking in front of what is left of Paris. They must be just inside the city, in the streets as some of the houses are on fire and there are what look like bodies behind her on the street.

“We have a survivor,” a woman shouts out, and the camera shakes as they run over the road. A little girl about ten looks into the camera and then at the camera woman.

“Can you tell us who did this?” the woman asks, sliding her arm around the little girl.

“Magic people,” she says quietly, but I hear it.

“We are hearing many reports of wolves and witches. Things we only believed existed in fairy tales, but it seems they are real,” the camera woman says, and there is silence around the room.

“The government won’t hide this, us. This is a mass killing of one of their capitals. They will blame the supernaturals, and humans will hunt us for this,” Lucinda says, and I nod my agreement. I don’t need to say anything about the humans, as I listen to them rant on about the evil supernaturals. They will never see us as the good guys now.

“You had a witch that can hear for halfs and then find them?” I ask Soobeen.

“Yes,” Soobeen answers.

“I want you to ask her to put a call out for any supernaturals, tell them that here is safe. When we win the war, we will get Atlantis back, and then we will have two safe havens for supernaturals. Including the pack lands at some point,” I say, and she nods.

“Yes, My Queen.”

“Many supernaturals hide with humans, maybe they will be safe,” Atti comments.

“I hope so,” I say and look down at the iPad as video recordings of destroyed Paris appear.

Paris is gone.